A quarter of all the expenses submitted last year by private health clinics to EOPYY, the country’s largest healthcare provider, have been deemed suspicious and in need of further investigation, according to an audit carried by private inspectors which points to unjustifiable overcharging.

The inspectors have called for 130 million euros’ worth of expenses submitted by private clinics to EOPYY to be subjected to further scrutiny. The suspicious charges account for nearly a quarter of the total of 430 million euros in charges made to EOPYY last year.

The report highlights thousands of instances of unusual extensions of treatment and readmissions of patients just a few days after they were discharged.

Already the private clinics in question have been asked to provide explanations for the charges that have been deemed questionable, Kathimerini understands. Some of the clinics have protested the findings but sources indicate that even if all the claims are justified, some 70 million euros will remain unaccounted for.

The total of 430 million euros in charges submitted to EOPPY by private clinics last year overshoots the government budget by an estimated 100 million euros. Some of this is expected to be recouped via the government’s clawback policy, which allows it to reclaim any money paid to the clinics over a set annual ceiling.

Health sector officials described the findings as “impressive” and said they justified the insistence of the Health Ministry’s former leadership on private firms conducting an independent audit of charges being submitted to EOPYY.